What Is Matcha Green Tea Powder?

Matcha is a premium green tea powder from Japan that can be used for drinking in the form of tea or as an ingredient in cooking recipes.

It’s actually unique to Japan, and it has been celebrated in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony for hundreds of years.

To put it briefly, Matcha green tea powder is considered to be a great antioxidant and a natural weight loss aid, a mood-enhancer and as I found out when I started drinking it, a good sugar-free alternative to coffee, as it gives you the needed energy without the jitters.

Benefits Of Matcha Green Tea Powder

This is where I really did some serious research – after all, if I am going to serve something to my family as a healthy addition to our diets, I want to know exactly what I’m giving them.

I’m sure you get me.

The things I came to learn about benefits of matcha green tea powder are nothing short of amazing.

One of the main things that differentiate Matcha from other green teas on the market is its unparalleled nutritional value.

Matcha is renowned for numerous health benefits - it is full of nutrients, antioxidants and fiber, which, I’m sure you know, are all very good for you.

Why are the health benefits of matcha so superior to other green teas?

Because, to put it simply, people who drink matcha ingest the whole leaf, while "regular" green tea drinkers are basically just consuming brewed water - in terms of nutritional value and antioxidant content, one cup of matcha is the equivalent of 10 cups of green tea.

Matcha also contains an amino acid known to relax the mind and for this reason, it is also known to be a mood enhancer.

Matcha green tea powder, amongst many health benefits:

Is full of antioxidants, especially EGCg

Boosts metabolism

Detoxifies effectively and naturally

Is full of fiber and vitamins

Enhances mood and aids in concentration, while also calming the mind and relaxing the body

What’s The Best Way To Use Matcha Green Tea Powder?

From what you’ve read so far, it is easy to conclude that Matcha tea really is an easy and simple way to add something powerful and healthy to your everyday diet and, essentially, there are four ways to consume it:

as a ceremonial tea

in lattes

in frappes and smoothies

in desserts and baking

As an addition to our everyday diet, Matcha was proven to be versatile and flexible.

When matcha is made in the traditional Japanese style, stirred with water, it becomes this intense, full-flavoured green tea; there is no need to worry about the steps too much – just think of it as simply adding water to tea.

There is another way to use matcha green tea powder, and that is by adding it to your cooking and drink making recipes.

When added as an ingredient, the taste of matcha becomes more subtle, which I found to be very useful when I started to add it to my family's diet slowly.

It adds the flavor and color of green tea to your recipe, be it a smoothie, latte, some type of sauce or pastry.

I encourage you to experiment as much as you can by also adding matcha green tea powder to yogurt shakes, milk drinks and cocktails, either by using a blender for mixing it with things like yogurt and ice cream, or an electric whisk for milk drinks and cocktails.

Things To Look For When Choosing The Right Matcha Green Tea Powder

Adding matcha green tea powder is a big step forward in living a healthy lifestyle, but as soon as you decide to take it, you’ll be faced with the choice between different grades:

Kitchen grade

Cafe grade

Classic grade

Ceremony grade

The first two, kitchen and cafe grade, are great for blending, so if your plan is to make a lot of smoothies, it is better to choose a product that falls somewhere in this category.

On the other hand, a classic or ceremony grade matcha is meant to be sipped, as a plain tea with water.

What determines these differences?

It’s all about what your specific needs are.

Personally, I like to have a bit of both. If I’m using my matcha powder as an ingredient, it makes sense to use a kitchen or cafe grade, but when I want a nice cup of tea, I will turn to a finer, ceremony grade matcha.

In the following paragraphs, I will present to you some of the top rated green tea powders on the market right now and hopefully give you enough insight to help you decide how well they meet your specific requirements.

This is the one I was really excited about trying because even though it’s technically a Culinary grade, it still offers the taste and color of a good Ceremonial grade Matcha.

This might be a good choice for you if you’re looking to start your day with something that will give you tons of energy, improve your concentration and add a lot of organic nutrients.

Because of its fresh, vibrant green color, richer taste and silkier texture than other products available on the market at the moment, this matcha is considered a high-quality product.

You need to pay attention to product information, though, so you won’t be surprised at how small the package actually is. I would say it's a good size to get a few servings and decide if you like the brand or not before buying a larger package.

Other than that, the package itself is resealable and seems pretty durable, which is important when it comes to preserving the freshness of your matcha powder.

Even though there are some cheaper matcha powders on the market and on this particular list, the rich taste and the vibrant color you get from this one are worth the price, in my opinion, and my family agrees with me on this one.

This matcha green tea powder is made and sold by Enzo’s Private Selection.

This product has a strong yet milky taste, which is great for someone who is just getting used to drinking matcha green tea.

It has, in fact, proven to be a great substitute for my morning cup of coffee – getting the needed energy without the annoying jitters throughout the day.

The packaging is great, even though it is fairly small because that small amount of matcha powder you get will go a long way since you really don’t need to use that much to get the wanted matcha taste and color.

Another good thing about it is that the bag is resealable, which makes it easy to keep the powder fresh once opened.

I was worried about the color, as it seemed a bit darker, more brownish than that of a typical matcha green tea, but I guess I got used to it with time.

I do believe, though, that there are some better quality products on the market for the same amount of money I spent on this one, so that would be the main thing I didn’t like about it.

But on the other hand, the seller does have a refund policy, which makes trying out this product worth a shot.

This is a Classic Culinary Grade matcha green tea powder, which means that it is an affordable way to add a delicious, healthy boost to your smoothies, lattes, baked goods and other recipes.

When it comes to packaging, one great thing is that it’s fully resealable, which did help maintain the freshness of the product.

Even though the package seems small (30g/1oz), the number of servings you get from it is pretty good, because you really don’t need much – serving size is ½ tsp, so you get a good 30 servings per bag.

The thing you have to keep in mind when buying this product is that it’s a Culinary Grade matcha, which means that it will work better as a part of a recipe, than just a regular tea.

Good thing is that the package contains a website address where you can find some great recipe ideas that include matcha green tea powder. I used it mostly for making green tea ice cream and both the taste and color were great – not too strong and very refreshing.

You should know that this seller has a refund policy, too, so in case you find that this product is not suitable for you, they will gladly give you your money back.

Pros

Compared to others on this list, this product can be considered mid-priced

As far as the price goes, this product is the one considered to be very affordable. To put it briefly, you get what you paid for.

The taste was a lot more "grassy" compared to other matcha green tea powders on this list, with a hint of natural bitterness to it, which can be considered normal, given the fact that this is an all-natural powder that contains no preservatives, sweeteners or additives.

If you are, in fact, new to matcha, it might be a better idea to mix it in your smoothies and lattes, rather than drink it in the form of a tea.

What I liked about it is that it does dissolve relatively well and does not clump, so it doesn’t leave that powdery aftertaste.

Another good thing about this product is that it works great as a substitute to artificial food coloring, which means that my family can expect a lot of green cakes in the near future.

What I didn’t like is the fact that, even though it did come sealed, once opened the bag wasn’t resealable, so I had to get another zipper bag to store the product in, but that’s a relatively small inconvenience.

It provides everything a green tea lover like myself asks for, while also being a great addition to snacks and meals I prepare for my family – lots of delicious smoothies, ice cream and all sorts of other stuff.

The decision was not, by all means, easy to make, as all the products on the list do share a lot of the same qualities, so I feel it was a matter of personal preference that won the race for the said product, but you should keep this one in mind when you make your choice.

Barbara Whitney

For the last 20 years, I’ve been cooking, preparing, researching, and gathering recipes, tools, and knowledge about food and the way we prepare it. Raising two lively boys and spoiling one great husband later, it’s safe to say that I’ve optimized my kitchen to deliver the best possible meal, no matter the occasion.